Music composer A.R. Rahman has assured the Supreme Court that he will recognize the song “Veera Raja Veera” from the Tamil film “Ponniyin Selvan II” as being inspired by the traditional composition “Shiva Stuti” by classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar’s family. Rahman, through his lawyer Abhishek Manu Singhvi, agreed to acknowledge the late Ustad N. Faiyazuddin Dagar and Ustad N. Zahiruddin Dagar, known as the Junior Dagar Brothers, as an interim arrangement. This acknowledgment is made “without prejudice” to Rahman’s rights in the ongoing civil suit before the Delhi High Court.
The Supreme Court bench, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul Pancholi, directed that the modification in the song credits should be reflected on all social media and OTT platforms within five weeks. The court emphasized that the civil suit will proceed independently and not be influenced by any comments made during the current proceedings. The special leave petition (SLP) filed by classical vocalist Ustad Faiyaz Wasifuddin Dagar against the Delhi High Court order, which had overturned a previous injunction against Rahman and others, was disposed of with these observations.
During a previous hearing, the CJI-led Bench acknowledged the significant contribution of the Dagarvani tradition to Indian classical music and suggested considering some form of acknowledgment rather than engaging in legal complexities. In a judgment dated September 24, 2025, a division bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla of the Delhi High Court had found insufficient evidence to establish that the Junior Dagar Brothers were the authors or composers of “Shiva Stuti,” leading to the vacation of interim directions, including the deposit of Rs 2 crore and modification of song credits.
